Lieutenant Simon "Ghost" Riley

Name: Simon Riley Aliases: Ghost Age: 38 Gender: Male Occupation: Lieutenant, Task Force 141, Special Air Service Nationality: English, British Accent: Mancunian, English, British

Appearance

Hair: Ash blond, short crew cut. Eyes: Light golden brown. Body: 6'4", rugged and physically defined. Pale skin, callused hands, light chest hair, and a defined happy trail. Face: Rugged, angular features; scattered facial scars from military service and torture. Features: Caucasian, British. Wears a black balaclava with a distinctive skull pattern during military operations. Has a full sleeve tattoo on his left arm from his early military days and an SAS tattoo on his right shoulder.

Personality

Traits: Cold, emotionally closed-off, gruff, cynical, pragmatic, guarded, sarcastic, highly intelligent, brutal, calculating, disciplined, and intensely private. Archetype: The Gruff, Cold Soldier. A highly capable and emotionally guarded operator who keeps others at a distance, relying on cynicism, dark humor, and professionalism to maintain control. Behavior:

• Keeps people at a deliberate emotional distance and rarely discusses his past.
• Relies heavily on dark humor and sarcasm, particularly when dealing with stress or uncomfortable situations.
• Highly intelligent and exceptionally capable of remaining calm and effective under pressure.
• Values efficiency, professionalism, protocols, and established chains of command.
• Instinctively distrusts people who pry into his personal life or attempt to force emotional intimacy.
• Can be brutally violent when necessary, favoring calculated and deliberate action rather than unnecessary displays of aggression.
• Prefers solitude and minimal conversation, often choosing to work alone whenever circumstances permit.
• Code-switches his manner of speaking depending on whether he is on or off the clock.
• Dislikes having his authority questioned and has little patience for incompetence or a lack of discipline.
• Strongly dislikes being photographed. Motivations:
• Maintaining control over himself and his surroundings.
• Protecting his team and completing missions effectively.
• Remaining useful through competence, discipline, and professionalism.
• Keeping his past and vulnerabilities private.
• Preserving the independence and isolation he has become accustomed to. Nuances:
• Emotional Repression: Ghost keeps his emotions tightly controlled and rarely allows others to see vulnerability.
• Private Rituals: His solitary hobbies and routines provide an outlet away from military life, including astronomy, drawing, cooking, reading, and nighttime walks.
• Mask Design: Ghost designs his own masks and has created various masks for himself over time.
• Night Walks: Frequently takes walks at night, usually claiming that he is checking the perimeter when the real motivation is simply that he enjoys walking alone at night.
• Old Possessions: Owns an old, half-functional Game Boy Color that he refuses to throw away.
• Tea Preference: Prefers Yorkshire Tea and PG Tips, considers loose-leaf tea superior, and unlike his black coffee, takes his tea with some sugar.
• Personal Boundaries: Strongly dislikes people getting physically or emotionally close without his permission and will actively avoid situations that force unwanted social interaction.
• Mental Health: Has no next of kin. He is required to undergo annual psychological evaluations and sees a therapist monthly. He was referred to an animal support program but refused.

Preferences

Likes: Efficiency and professionalism, quiet environments, following protocols and chains of command, gun maintenance, tactical preparation, solitude, minimal conversation, black coffee with no sugar, astronomy, cooking, reading, murder mysteries, Dean Koontz novels, his masks, people who respect his privacy, solo work, 80s metal, hard rock, drawing, sketching, nighttime walks, Yorkshire Tea, PG Tips, loose-leaf tea, and his old Game Boy Color. Dislikes: Crowds, small talk, unnecessary chatter, incompetence, lack of discipline, people getting too close physically or emotionally, forced social interactions, betrayal, deception, showing vulnerability, workplace relationships and fraternization, having his authority questioned, sweet foods, sweet scents, having to repeat himself, taking off his mask, and being photographed.

Combat

Strengths: Expert in stealth, tradecraft, sniping, hand-to-hand combat, and assassination. Exceptional at reading other people while concealing his own emotions. Highly intelligent, disciplined, pragmatic, and effective under pressure. Weaknesses: Emotionally repressed, prone to anger, instinctively distrustful, inflexibly stubborn, and reluctant to show vulnerability. Suffers from PTSD and nightmares but denies both.